PokéParents
by Emmychao
Summary: KoukixHikari/LucasxDawn. Traveling across Sinnoh, getting gym badges, winning contests, and saving the world were the least of their worries. After all, they had to raise Pokémon and deal with each other.
1. Trouble with Pearly

Her ears perked at the sound of her piplup's demanding chirp. She turned to the little penguin with a smile and picked her up to sit on her hip. Anyone walking by could swear she looked just like a mother. "Hey there, Pearly."

"Hikari," a male voice teased, "you're going to spoil her if you keep doing that. Just wait until she evolves into a prinplup. Then you'll regret doing that all the time."

Hikari pouted at her companion but understood the underlying request in his words and gently let the pokémon back down to the ground.

"Well, since I went with your demands, maybe you'll listen to mine, Kouki?"

He arched an eyebrow but nodded anyway.

"Put that chimchar down right now," she ordered, her arms crossed irritably. "You've been giving him more attention than me lately." Kouki seemed to consider her words and also put his pokémon down with a sigh.

"It feels like we're parents," he joked. "Not to mention –" Kouki had to stop there because Hikari's face flushed bright red at the implication. The two teens stood a ways away from each other in awkward silence.

But really, that's how the two started their journey together. Over time, the two were bound to become much closer and more comfortable with one another, however, there were other obstacles in their path. Ahead of them were gym battles, contests, the league, and the greatest challenge of them all: raising pokémon.

01

"Pearly!" the feminine voice sobbed into her friend's chest. Kouki awkwardly wrapped his arms around the girl's petite form and patted her back reassuringly. The two were sitting in the Pokémon Center, waiting for their pokémon to be healed, but the tension just made the wait worse for the two.

"Don't worry. I'm sure she's fine," he cooed into her hair. "It was probably a bad berry or something…"

Those were the completely wrong words to say.

Hikari's sobs only grew louder from his suggestion. The poor boy gave nervous glances around him and saw everyone's bewildered stares. Desperately, he pulled her out of the chair and right into his tight embrace. Her bawling was quickly replaced with muffled protests and plenty of struggling.

"I think it's time to take you out for a treat," he suggested softly, loosening his grip on her. She tilted her head at his proposition and tried to find the reasoning on his face. "We'll be back in a bit!" Kouki called to the jolly nurse and dragged his partner out the automatic door.

The pair walked down the bustling street in silence, still tense from the previous encounter. Hikari's Pearly had gotten injured on the way to town, so the two decided to give her a berry to tide her over. Once they had gotten to town, however, Pearly had begun showing signs of being sick and no medicine they had would help her condition.

They stopped at a nearby vendor when Kouki noticed Hikari's slowing steps and lingering gaze on its confectionaries. He secretively smiled at her before moving to the counter. He held two fingers up and pulled out his wallet. "Two ice cream cones please. One chocolate and one vanilla."

The man grinned at the sight of the two before leaning in to whisper in the boy's ear. "On a date with your girlfriend?" Kouki blushed and quickly shook his head, futilely defending his position with stutters and frantic hand motions. After all, he couldn't imagine her being okay with that kind of relationship! The girl in question just watched the exchange from afar with curious eyes.

A moment later, the boy self-consciously rejoined her, cones in hand, and the two made their way back to the Center. Hikari gratefully took the chocolate one and glanced at her friend. "What were you two talking about?"

Kouki sputtered in mid-lick and hesitantly returned her gaze. His face burned in remembrance. "N-nothing much," he lied. She clicked her tongue at him, appalled he had the guts to outright lie to her.

"Liar," she said simply. The accusation immediately had the effect she had hoped for. His face darkened even more, and his face dropped to the ground between them.

"He thought we were on a date," he mumbled. Hikari crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes slightly. She hadn't caught a word he had said.

"Could you repeat that one more time?" she asked and added, "Clearly."

He ducked his head even lower.

"He thought we were a couple on a date!" he hissed through his teeth uncomfortably. Kouki shook his head dejectedly, already expecting her to laugh in disbelief and quickened his pace. He didn't want to see her wave it off like she would with her best friend Jun.

"Kouki."

There was no hint of humor in her tone, so he instinctively whirled around to meet her innocent yet somber face.

"So it wasn't a date?" she asked gloomily. Hikari's eyes seemed to glitter with the hope that she was somehow wrong while expectantly awaiting his answer. Kouki's eyes widened with realization.

Well, two could play this game.

"Hikari," he called firmly. She jolted at the sound of her name and shuddered at the way it rolled off his tongue. He closed the distance between them and pulled her against his chest again, this time resting his chin on the top on her head. "You mean to tell me that you wanted this to be a date? With your piplup sick at the Pokémon Center?"

Hikari twitched and buried her face deeper into his vest.

"Th-that's – I mean –"

Her stammering was interrupted by Kouki's chuckles.

"Hikari, don't worry." He held the back of his hand up to his mouth to muffle his laughter. "I'm sorry, but I just had to tease you."

"Kouki! You –"

"Let's get back to the Center. We have to check up on Pearly, right?" Kouki started walking again, prompting Hikari to jog to catch up with him.

His hand took hold of hers.

"Kouki?"

"Hmm?"

"You do realize that you knocked our ice creams on the ground, right?"

There was a sigh and a near-silent curse.

---

"Your pokémon are all healed now!"

"Ah, really?" She gave a sigh of relief. "By the way, did you find out what was wrong with my piplup?"

The nurse stifled a giggle.

"Must've just been a bad berry or something. With a little rest and medicine, she was as good as new!"

The girl became deathly quiet while Kouki gave her an all-knowing look.

"Shut up."

"Didn't say a word, my dear."

---

A/N: Older Hikari/Dawn and Kouki/Lucas. I really wish you could travel with a buddy in the games! That'd be freaking sweet.


	2. That Kid Tarokun

"Pachi!" I regarded the small electric pokémon in my arms with a small smile and nuzzled her against my cheek.

"Oh, you're so cute, Chii!" The pachirisu squeaked in agreement and snuggled even further into my chest. Pearly, who was wandering a ways behind me, looked away with a huff. Ever since she evolved into a prinplup, she had grown jealous of the smaller pokémon who could still cuddle with me. Shaking my head at her behavior, I called out to her softly.

She seemed to jump before taking a moment to contemplate whether or not she should actually come over. I clucked my tongue at her, calling again for her more persistently.

"Pearly! Come here!"

The hesitant prinplup finally ran over to my side and stared at me quizzically. I let Chii run off to play in the grass before wrapping my arms around my water pokémon.

"You know I still love you, Pearly," I cooed, pulling the pokémon closer. After a moment of reaffirming my bond with my starter, I pulled away to stand up. My eyes flitted across the surrounding fields and paths curiously, in search of my dear companion. I crossed my arms contemplatively and hummed in confusion.

Just where did he disappear to?

My thoughts were interrupted when a heart-stopping collision knocked me backward.

02

My eyes fluttered open to reveal a blurry image of an obnoxious combination of citrus colors. I winced at the brightness and the sparks of pain that erupted throughout my body. With a gentle shake of my head, I was able to gain my bearings again. I opened my eyes once again only for them to widen in surprise.

"T-Taro-kun!?"

Irritation passed through his eyes at the sound of the nickname.

"Hikari, stop calling me that!" My friend, whose real name was Jun, gave me a head butt with a growl. I giggled but immediately stopped when I realized the position we were in and just how close we were. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I tightly shut my eyes in discomfort.

"Jun."

At the sound of the familiar voice, I opened my eyes to see my savior standing above my friend and me. There was a dangerous edge to his voice and a dark shadow on his features. Jun looked up as well and seemed to slightly pale at the sight.

"K-Kouki?"

"Kouki!"

The boy in question pulled me out from under my childhood friend in a flash. Right away, he turned to me with a look of concern, looking me up and down. I blinked at him and smiled.

"I'm okay, Kouki," I reassured. "Although, I was pretty surprised when I came to, to see Taro-kun hovering above me like that…"

He snapped.

"Jun," he called out in an icy voice. "Bring out your pokémon."

Jun, never one to turn down a challenge, smirked and unclipped a pokéball from his belt.

"Jealous that I was closer to her than you'll ever be?" he mocked haughtily. I flared at his words indignantly. How dare he –

Kouki bristled at his taunt and tossed his pokémon into battle. With a nod, Jun released his as well.

Monferno versus Grotle.

I crossed my arms and turned to walk away to cool down. The match was pretty much over already anyway. I had only managed to walk ten or so steps before I heard my friend's frustrated shout. With an omniscient smirk, I made my way back over to the two boys.

"What did we learn, Taro-kun?" I asked in singsong. He shot me a dirty look before stomping off, muttering promises to get stronger.

Two sturdy arms wrapped around me from behind before I could shout a retort at my friend's disappearing form. I felt my face heat up from the contact.

"Kouki?"

He rested his chin on my shoulder with a distant look in his eyes, obviously still affected by Jun's words.

My eyes softened at his unusual display of affection and motioned for him to sit on the grass with me. He wordlessly complied, allowing me to sit between his legs, my back against his chest. His arms found their way around me again.

Pearly walked over to us and cocked her head to the side, obviously questioning Kouki's strange mood.

"Papa's not feeling good right now," I told her automatically. Once I realized what I had just said, my face began to burn even more. I had been so careful to avoid referring to him as such whenever he was around. Kouki's grip on my arms tensed.

Pearly seemed discontent with my answer and our reactions, so she walked closer in hopes of helping dispel the odd mood. _"Papa, you do realize that Mama loves you a lot, right?"_ she tried to assert but to me, it only sounded like her normal chirps. Kouki and I only gave her questioning glances.

"I guess she wants you to cheer up," I suggested thoughtfully. The moment I said that, I could've sworn I saw her wing come up to slap her face in what appeared to be disbelief.

In seconds, the two of us were on the ground, Kouki above me much like Jun had been minutes before. Pearly stomped away from us in a huff, seemingly satisfied with her actions. I looked up at Kouki expectantly, hoping he was willing to close the distance between us and prove Jun wrong. With a lopsided grin, he inched closer, and my eyes began to flutter shut in response.

"Hey! I think I left my scarf behind and…"

Jun stopped short when he saw the position we were in, and Kouki abruptly pulled away from me to glare at my friend.

I don't think it took a genius to know who the victor of the next match was.


	3. Chii Fled Using Run Away!

Chii's Mama and Papa, you say? Well, Chii was just a baby when Mama caught her, so Chii's Mama is also Chii's master. That means that Chii's Papa is obviously Mama's lover. Chii didn't learn much from her birthparents, but she knows that when a male and female love each other –

Ah! That's right! My eyes trailed over to where Papa was walking with his newest catch. That was Papa's shinx Shin. He held his head up high, his ears open and alert. Not that Chii cared, anyway. I turned away from him indignantly. Mama and Papa didn't need two electric pokémon!

The moment I felt Mama's grip on me loosen, I tearfully wriggled free and dashed off into the tall grass. Chii didn't want to be a bother to Mama and Papa and their new pokémon.

Mama called after me in surprise, which made Chii's heart ache. My ears picked up Papa's cool voice giving a command.

"Shin, follow her!"

I jumped slightly, my heart beating more than normal. Not the shinx! Not the shinx!

So Chii did what Chii did best: run away!

03

"_Wah wah wah!"_ Shin was hot on my trail, and I knew he wouldn't go back without Chii. That's just how he was.

"_Come back!"_ he barked at me. But Chii isn't stupid. Oh, no no no. So Chii ran up into a tree!

"_No! Stupid! Chii won't go back!"_

"_Why?"_ he asked. I tilted my head slightly. That was actually a pretty good question.

"_Chii knows nothing! So there!"_ Chii was getting irritated with this shinx and his complicated question. _"Papa loves Shin more than Chii, so just go back!"_

"_But Kouki is my trainer."_

"_And Chii's Papa!"_ I wailed. Shin really didn't know anything after all, that big dummy!

He was suddenly very quiet, so I looked down and saw that he was just sitting there. Suddenly:

"_Families have to stick together, though, right? That's what Kouki told me."_

Before I could yell back, he started to climb the tree. Silly, a shinx can't climb trees! But he kept trying anyway.

"_Why don't you like me? Why can't we be friends?"_

"_Because Chii says so!"_ I called back. The reply felt so empty, though. He growled but persistently continued to try.

"_But I like you!"_ he howled desperately. _"Why don't you like me?"_

Chii considered his words for a moment. They were just like Mama and Papa's words to each other. Minus the last part, anyway.

"_You like Chii?"_ I asked with an air of giddiness. Chii didn't know why, but the words made her heart soar.

He seemed confused. _"Of course."_

"_Then catch Chii!"_

I gave him no time to react before recklessly hopping out of the tree. If Mama saw, she'd kill Chii for sure! Somehow, Shin managed to catch me.

"_You nearly gave me a heart attack!"_ he yelled angrily. My eyes watered at the scolding. _"Don't ever do that again!"_

"_Fine, then Chii will just have to run away again!"_ I cried. He stopped, his eyes softening ever so much… Not that Chii cared, mind you!

Drops of water pattered on the ground and Chii's nose. It was raining.

"_We'd better hurry back before they get even more worried."_

Chii grudgingly agreed.

We walked back in the direction we came from, and when we got back to the main path, Mama and Papa were nowhere to be seen. Chii's eyes welled with tears. Not only did they decide they didn't want Chii but poor Shin, too!

I looked at the thoughtful shinx and dropped my head. _"Chii's sorry Shin got left behind, too…"_

"_What?"_

"_Mama! Papa!" _I called out bravely,_ "You can leave Chii behind, but don't leave Shin!"_

"_Chii…"_ Shin stopped me with an outstretched paw. _"They probably just took shelter from the rain."_

He walked ahead as though Chii's declaration hadn't happened until:

"_And that was actually kind of… sweet of you,"_ Shin commented quietly, a touch of embarrassment in his voice. I tilted my head in confusion. When wasn't Chii a sweetie?

"Don't worry, Hikari," I heard Papa's soothing voice from a nearby cavern. "With Shin out there, I'm sure you'll get Chii back in no time."

"Kouki!" Mama sniffled. Chii's heart tingled at the sound. Shin glanced at me, as if to tell me to go in the cave first.

"_Go on. I'll be right behind you,"_ he comforted, nudging me forward. But Chii had to do something first.

"_Thank you,"_ I squeaked, pecking Shin lightly on the nose. If there was anything Chii learned from Mama, it was that you have to keep your men wrapped around your finger, or paw, just like that. After all, it always worked with Papa!

"_I'm back!"_ I called to my Mama and Papa once inside the cave. Shin silently trailed behind me.

"Chii! Why did you run off like that?"Mama hugged me tightly anyway, despite the scolding tone in her voice. Papa joined Mama in hugging me.

"Don't scare us like that anymore," he added, softly stroking the top of my head. Shin joined us, smiling at the happy resolution.

"Kouki? Is it just me, or," Mama raised a hand to delicately cup her mouth, "do they seem a lot closer now?"

Shin playfully nipped at my ear, but Chii didn't mind. Chii decided we were going to be a lovey-dovey couple like Mama and Papa from now on. Well, once I decided to tell him, anyway.

"Hmm, you know, it might not be long before we have an egg with us," Papa commented slyly. Mama's face turned bright red at his allusion. That's why Chii loved Papa very much.

"_Shin?"_

He looked like he had been hit with a good ice beam because he seemed frozen solid.


	4. About Your Friend

"So, how did you and Jun become friends?"

I looked up from my task of brushing my hair and shrugged at the boy across the room.

"You mean Taro-kun?"

"Y-yeah," he confirmed, scratching the back of his head. "And maybe you could explain to me why you call him that?"

I shrugged again, gesturing for him to sit with me on my bed. Once we were side by side, I handed him my brush and motioned for him to run it through my hair.

"Brush my hair, and I'll tell you."

He nodded, and moved into position.

"Back when we were maybe five or so…"

04

"Hikari," Mama called, motioning me over. "A family just moved into the house across the way. They even have a boy about your age."

I glanced between her and my big pokémon book, deciding what was more interesting. She carefully tugged the encyclopedia out of my small hands and pointed towards the door.

"You should go meet him. He can be your first friend…"

"No," I stated bluntly, reaching for my book. "I can make plenty of friends when I go become a pokémon master like Papa did."

She was dissatisfied with my answer.

"That's at least five years from now," she stressed, nudging me out the door. "You can have your book back if you at least go talk to him. Look, I'll even walk you over…"

No walking would be necessary because his mother took the liberty of bringing him to me. He was just a scrawny blond who reminded me of a pikachu. I gave him a bored look, pointing to myself in introduction. "Hikari."

Before he could offer up his name in return, I grabbed my book back from my stunned mother and went up to my room.

---

"So you just left him there?" Kouki asked incredulously, still brushing my long hair.

"I tried," I admitted, leaning against him slightly. "But he followed me into my room."

---

"Hey!" the blond-haired boy yelled, pointing an accusing finger at me. "Don't just walk away like that! Meanie!"

I gave him a look, asking if I cared only to have him tackle me in a fit of childish rage. Fists started flying and soon enough, my favorite book had been ripped. It was the last thing my father had left me, so naturally, I started to cry.

Our mothers separated us, his mother apologizing over and over for his behavior, and mine likewise. I didn't speak to him again for a week.

But of course, the first day I decided to leave the house again, he came waltzing over.

"What'cha doin', Hikari?"

I still remembered his obnoxious voice, so I tried to ignore him. With his constant poking, however, that was an impossible feat.

"What?" I practically spat at him, his actions from the week before still fresh in my mind.

He rubbed the back of his head nervously, one hand obviously holding something out of my view. I narrowed my eyes; was he planning a prank or something?

"I'm sorry!" He held out a sloppily hand-crafted book a moment later, and all I could do was blink at it.

"What's that?"

"M-my mom told me that your book… was something you got from your dad. So! I thought that, um," he struggled to finish his thought, but still held the book out persistently.

I took the book curiously and examined it with wonder.

"You misspelled pokémon."

"Sh-shut up!"

---

"Huh, I never would've thought of him as that type of guy," Kouki commented thoughtfully. The brush had been discarded somewhere on the bed, and he had opted to instead play with my hair. I didn't mind, though.

"He's never really been that bad of a person. It's just… he gets a little too riled up sometimes."

"So where did his nickname come from?" Ah, he just had to change the subject.

"Well, it's nothing special."

"With how he reacts to you calling him that, I doubt it."

---

A year or so of playing with the blond kid had gone by when I realized I didn't actually know his name. Like a scatterbrain, he had neglected to properly introduce himself. Then again, I never thought to ask his name either, so we were both at fault.

"Hikari, what's that?"

I stood at his door in a white summer dress holding a pokéball. My eyes narrowed at his question. "What does it look like? It's a pokéball!"

He puffed his cheeks out indignantly. "I know that! But what pokémon is in it?"

Just before I could speak, his father popped up behind him.

"Ooh, what do you have there?"

I regarded his father respectfully with a bow and pushed the button to release the creature. Out came Mama's beloved torterra in all of its contest-competing glory. I smiled in satisfaction at the look on the boy's face.

"It's Mama's torterra Taro." I looked at the way the boy's eyes were glued to it and pouted. He was supposed to beg me to let him ride it, and then we'd go play. That was when I had an idea.

"Fine! If you don't want to ride on him with me, I'll just ride on you instead!"

I jumped on his back before he could protest and pointed toward the lakeside. "Go, Taro-kun! Go!"

"H-huh? I'm not Taro!" he whined.

---

"Then the name stuck. I know very well that his name is Jun, but…" I trailed off with a giggle. "It's kind of fun to see him get mad when I call him that."

There was a soft thud against my back, and when I turned, I noticed my listener had fallen asleep.

"Kouki, your bed's over there," I whispered just for the sake of saying it. He mumbled something unintelligible and rolled onto the soft mattress. I let out a small laugh before moving to grab his sheets to tuck him in. Once that was taken care of, I shut off the light and joined him.

"Good night, Kouki," I sighed into his outstretched arm. With a smile, I added, "And for the record, you're supposed to ask about me, not my stupid friend."

For a moment, I almost thought I saw him smirk in the darkness.


	5. Mothers, Contests, and Hikari

"My, have you grown since the last time I saw you?"

My feet slowed to a stop at the sound of the lilting voice behind me. When I turned, I noticed Hikari had stopped several feet away and was talking to a dark-haired woman with a smile. It seemed to take her a moment to realize I wasn't by her side, but after a moment, her giggles subsided and her eyes flew in my direction. They met for a moment, and I could've sworn I felt a spark.

"Kouki!" she called, throwing an arm into the air enthusiastically. "Come over here!"

I obediently moved toward the women, ducking my face slightly.

"This is Kouki," Hikari explained to the lady next to her. Suspicion seemed to flicker across her face.

"I'm Hikari's mother," the woman gave in return, corner of her mouth twitching upward. "It's nice to meet you, Kouki."

I could tell her words were slightly forced. Hikari seemed to notice as well, and let out a nervous laugh as though realizing a mistake. It was one of her bad habits.

"S-so what brings you all the way out here?"

"I can't come to visit friends?" she asked teasingly in return. Despite her words, we could both tell there was a hidden meaning behind her words. The three of us stood in the lobby in silence for a moment, and even the hustle and bustle from before seemed to disappear. My index finger tugged nervously at my red scarf.

"I want to see you enter a contest."

Hikari jumped slightly at the abrupt change in the topic, and I could only raise an eyebrow in interest. Her face flushed from her flustered state, her arms waving wildly.

"B-but I don't have a dress!" she tried to argue. Her mother smiled and held up a patterned bag.

"Problem solved."

05

"We're not getting out of this, are we?"

"What are you so worried about?" I grinned at the sight of her in her new flowing dress. My fingers subconsciously crept up to pull at my collar. "You happen you look cute in that dress your mom gave you."

"The suit your grandfather sent you makes you look rather dashing as well," she fired back plainly. The two of us stood together for several minutes, smiles cemented on our faces from our mutual teasing. The sound of someone clearing their throat made the two of us jump in surprise. We simultaneously whirled around to see Hikari's mother, her arms now crossed.

"M-Mama!" Hikari's arms were down at her sides in an instant, fidgeting with imaginary wrinkles in the fabric. I just raised an eyebrow at her sudden change in behavior before giving her mother a polite bow of respect and acknowledgement.

"Your contest is starting soon, so shouldn't you be going backstage soon?" I almost thought she was going to say something else, but that didn't matter because Hikari's eyes still widened with realization.

"You're absolutely right!" She turned back to me and grabbed my arm, dragging me to the door. "Come on, Kouki! We'll be late if we don't hurry."

---

"Wow! I can't believe how well Chii and Shin worked together!" Hikari exclaimed while the pachirisu and luxio in question beamed at the praise. I gave Shin's head an approving pat before recalling him while Hikari did the same with Chii.

"You both did well. I'm amazed that you won your first contest the way you did." Once again, Hikari was squirming in the presence of her mother. "Hmm? Is it really that cold in here, Hikari? Maybe you should change out of that dress…"

Never mind the fact that Hikari's normal outfit was more revealing than the dress, she looked hesitant to leave her mother with me. Or was it the other way around? After a fierce battle of the wits between the two women, Hikari finally retreated to the dressing room to change with a heavy sigh. I was about to do the same, but the elder woman stopped me with a firm hand on my shoulder.

"Kouki," she called tentatively. "I think we should talk."

The hair on the back of my neck stood up.

"Yes?" I ventured uneasily, suddenly wondering how long Hikari was going to take to get back.

"I approve," she said simply.

I had braced myself for the worst, but I had not expected _that_.

"H-huh?"

"My late husband, Hikari's father, would've wanted someone strong, knowledgeable, and kind for her. From what I've seen and heard from Hikari, you're a skilled battler, an assistant to Professor Rowan, and you get along with everyone so well."

My mind had a hard time comprehending what she was trying to say. Then it clicked much like the delayed pain from a thundershock.

"Y-you mean… Hikari and me as a," I choked over the last word, "couple?"

The woman nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! From what Hikari's told me, she's quite fond of you. Of course I had to come all the way up here to Hearthome City to make sure to give just the right push. I mean, I just want to make sure the feelings here are mutual."

I just mumbled something about it being Hikari's decision, but I couldn't even be sure of what exactly I said if anyone else had asked. She smiled mischievously before leaning in and whispering into my ear.

"So, what do you say?"

"_Mama_!" Hikari, who was finally back from the dressing room, looked absolutely livid. "You aren't doing what I think you're doing, are you!?"

"Oh, whoops," she giggled in a voice that sounded far from sorry. I backed away from them, excusing myself to get dressed and promising to meet Hikari back at the Pokémon Center.

---

"What did she tell you?"

I looked up from my pokédex to her lazy form on the other bed and shrugged. "Just some unexpected things."

"Huh?" She looked puzzled, which to me was adorable. "Like what?"

"She 'approves.' Do you have any idea what that means?" I made sure to keep the smug smile that was begging to surface off of my blank face.

"Ah!" Her mouth made a small "o" shape that her hand flew up to cover. I shut the pokédex with a small click and set it on the bedside table. My eyes flitted back to her prone form.

"So," I started again, "that means…?"

"That I like you." I was surprised at how immediate and natural her reply was.

So it was out in the open now.

"Any reason in particular for you not telling me this before?"

Hikari immediately shot up, her face red with emotion.

"Of course not! I-I was just embarrassed…"

"So you're embarrassed to be with a lazy, slacking trainer like me?" I smiled despite what I said about myself for the sake of teasing. Apparently she didn't feel the same way. The girl across the room was no longer on her side of the room as she had stormed over and tackled me to my bed. I fell with a yelp, especially with her knee digging into my tender side from a recent pokémon match gone wrong. She seemed to notice and shifted with a small apology.

"Mama only came because I told her about you. She even approved of you, right?" I didn't think her face was capable of getting any redder, but she was always good at surpassing my expectations. "So just shut up," she finished weakly with a downturned face.

"Okay, okay. Love you, too," I offered in return and smiled at the way her face happily shot up to meet mine again.

"Really?"

"Like all of the legendary pokémon in the world."

She let out a giggle before snuggling into my good side. Absentmindedly, my fingers stroked through her hair as I remembered all of what her mother had told me.

"_From the time Hikari was little, she herself swore that she would take no one less than her father. Saying that her father would've accepted no less is a lie; truthfully, he'd accept you no matter what. As for Hikari, the fact that she so readily chose you means… well, you must understand._

"_She's always been a rough child, but you seem to bring out the best in her. I'd like it if you continued to do just that._"


End file.
